respect

Manual labor and the chic who forgot how it feels

~ gracelessnessover40 ~ 8 Comments

Recently I agreed to clean an empty “small” garden home to help out an older gentleman who wanted to sell it as he no longer lived there. His son had moved out some time back he said, and I went over, we discussed pricing and I started the next day.  

First of all, I am so thankful he offered me more than I asked for!  

I was quoting him based on size, etc. knowing full well I would throw in some cleaning he didn’t mention because that’s how I am, and he was a single, older, gentleman who had come referred by a friend. I needed the money and he needed the help.  

Oh.My.Aching.Body.  

It’s not that I am not physically active. I have a 4 year old son and OCD. I am constantly on the move and cleaning, organizing and Running to catch him from numerous things. Trying to avoid as many doctor visits as possible!  

However, when I clean something, especially for someone else, I CLEAN It.  

I scrub and put my whole body into that scrub. I spray, scrub, wash, scrub and scrub some more. I become somewhat obsessed I admit.  

I will get bathrooms, kitchen, doors, laundry room, windows, floors, fans, floorboards Cleansed. 

I was thinking 4-5 hours maybe close to 6, broke down over 2 days, no problem. 

I did get it done in 2 days but it took 9 ½ hours! 

Yes I used muscles that I haven’t used in a long, long time. I had blisters on my hands. My spine, hips, back and booty feel like I went dancing for at least 10 hours solid.  

I wanted to crawl around but that is frowned upon in places and I can’t catch the boy crawling. Or just lying there.  

My son jumped into my arms earlier today and I struggled not to drop him and fall over.  

He asked me if I was “Ok mama? You seem shaky.” Very good observation young boy! I told him mommy had been working hard and her body was sore.  

He then asked if it was because I had cleaned the screened in porch yesterday. I had forgotten about that!  

That explained it!  

In addition to my house cleaning and new job duties (taking care of a lovely older lady who needs help in her home, including getting up and down), I had also cleaned a roughly 10 x 20 area top to bottom. And all the furniture – think Pollen build up from all season long. Nasty! OCD here it was bad!  

I do not mind cleaning and helping. I enjoy making money and helping family and friends clean. I am a freak, this I know.  

But I forgot that I am no longer a spring chicken and that my spine, for real, is not at its peak, and I am, in fact, having a procedure done later this week to burn those irritating nerves back there and get a spinal block and maybe something else my fabulous doctor will throw in. Because he feels sorry for me being all jacked up knowing how I live my life! And I do bend at the knees like I’m told Trust Me! I couldn’t do anything otherwise!  

I mean I go in every three months for maintenance! Seriously! 

Manual labor I can do, I just have to pace myself.  

To those who do it daily, my respect goes out to you!  

It is hard on a body!  

But I love it and of course I will be doing similar cleansings again… once my spine is fixed!

And that house I did? It is Cleansed! The owner said he hadn’t seen it that clean since he had been living there! Score for the gimpy girl!

 Have a Fabulously Graceless Tuesday my friends!

 Keep Hope Alive!

 

Plugged in but not tuned in

~ gracelessnessover40 ~ 5 Comments

I was going to title this “Wired in” but plugged in seemed more apropos.

The definition of apropos is “fitting; at the right time; to the purpose; opportunity”.

I say this because even as I turn on my computer to only get into Word and begin typing my thoughts, I looked the definition up on my smarter-than-me-phone to make sure I am using the word apropos correctly in my mind! Too many folks toss out words not knowing the true definition or the way to use said word.

So many people use the term wired in or Wi-Fi, most often heard, to let others know they have “instant access” to the Internet so they can flaunt themselves with the knowledge they have the power to “look up information” on the go.

I freely admit this is quite handy and helpful but sometimes it can be a bit much.

Many of these folks, I’ve discovered, think that they are “extremely intelligent” because they have this “power” at their fingertips.

Everyone shares knowledge or information or news that they gleaned from the Internet by whatever source they chose to quote their info from. Facebook, news sites, spoof news sites.

More than have of those people decided their “source” is the truth and then proceed to tell you how your “source” is false and they hereby know more than you do because they are now “tuned in” to The Right Source.

These people kill me!

“It has be to be true ‘cause I read it on the Internet!”

It used to be they saw it on the television but we’re “evolving” now… sure we are, sure we are.

I am the one who will check several news sources to see if something is authentic before I post it, and even then sometimes find out that part or all of it was not the truth but it got out before the editor fully check the content. And yes, I have even got caught up in Internet hoaxes before I learned to check, re-check and triple check and even then sometimes something may not be true but it’s so “real” it seems like it is true. (HBO teaser trailers come to mind as well as a few other entertainment stations).

I am sure than many folks have heard the phrase “turn on, tune in, drop out”.

I wonder how many people really know where that term came from.

I recently heard it from the mouth of a “kid’ who had the “I’m young and smart and know everything” attitude and asked him what that meant to him.

He looked at me funny and said, “Ya know it’s what you say when you’re ‘in the know’.”

“Very interesting. And deep.” I replied, trying so hard to keep a straight face!

“I think it was a saying from some 80’s song but it means more now. We’ve changed it. Tuned in because it’s our generation that’s going to be in charge now and we have it all figured out which is what they meant by that term. We are wired into the world at our fingertips”.

It was all I can do to keep a straight face and get out of his vision (and sound range too) because I just lost it laughing at his definition of the phrase.

I can imagine once I “shared” with him the original origins of the phrase he would write me off as a crazy, old hippie lady and not take into consideration he could be incorrect on his information.

After all this is the age of information and according to this 20-something (barely) dude, his generation has it all figured out! God help us!

They practically created the internet, not Al Gore! Ok that was just funny if you get the reference. If not, just never mind and continue reading!

I had to call my friend immediately thereafter and tell them of this hilarious conversation and how Mr. Timothy Leary may could the humor in it if he was still with us. I hope! Because it kind of scares me to think this kid could be right.

How he got all that “deep ramble of thought(lessness)” from an “80’s” song I am just at a loss.

When you can Google the term “turn on, tune in and drop out” and the First thing that pops up is “”Turn on, tune in, drop out” is a counterculture-era phrase popularized by Timothy Leary in 1966. Reading on just a tinny bit you learn that in 1967 he spoke at the Human Be-In, a gathering of 30,000 hippies in Golden Gate Park and uttered the famous phrase “Turn on, tune in, drop out.”

His actual speech was “Like every great religion of the past we seek to find the divinity within and to express this revelation in a life of glorification and the worship of God. These ancient goals we define in the metaphor of the present – turn on, tune in, drop out.”

So is he plugged in, kind of. Wired in, I am so sure because he was holding one of those large Starbucks coffees in his hand!

But tuned in? In my opinion, no.

Because he represents the epitome of what I am trying to say here.

That just because you have the “information”, you don’t apply the knowledge of it.

You may use definitions to attempt to show your “power” but if you words lack the knowledge of intelligence, you sound like some of Mr. Leary’s pals that I am sure didn’t fare as well as him, Mr. Watts and Mr. Burroughs on their drugs.

The ones I am talking about that babble in the corner to things we cannot see!

And you only half-assed read on the Internet or you would have known pretty quickly what that phrase really meant and its origins.

If you would have truly read down a bit further you might have expanded your knowledge and sound like someone worthy of being respected.

But instead you mouth off, half knowing information, acting all superior to others because “you know” about “everything” and can tell others how they are “doing things wrong” yet your source is not even factual!

I know it’s not just this generation.

No, it’s far, far worse.

People of ALL generations have decided their superiority over others because they are “Tuned in” to what is “real”. However all of their realities seem to be a bit different so then we have several opinions as to what is real and what is not.

And everyone arguing and fighting over it, harming others in the process.

Forgetting that “turn on, tune in, drop out” is a metaphor for seeking the divinity within oneself. *I am paraphrasing here and inserting my opinion of the phrase.

But I do not expect everyone to agree with me.

Nor do I expect everyone to understand or care.

I just care than when you start quoting phrases and hurling them around at folks and judging them you know what you are really saying and mean. And that you back it up by walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

Put down you beloved smart phone before you walk into a wall or fall off the curb!

When you read, actually pay attention to what the writer is saying but don’t read while walking unless it’s just a glance because you may not be getting the full facts of what you are wanting to know.

For directions or referencing a glance is fine. But in order to “tune in” and find answers, you must first give the subject your full attention.

Otherwise we get a bunch of people who only think they know everything.

That is a terrifying thought to me!

Because those “half knowers” could be running our country one day. More of them than there already are! HA!

Seriously, our very lives depend on people who study, research and learn how to do specific things. Soldiers, police officers, fire fighters, doctors, lawyers, politicians – you get the idea. I personally want the ones who Know not the ones who glanced at the information packet to be helping me and mine!

So give humanity a break and “tune in” for a while before you start your judging and you superiority kick. It’s irritating.

As humans we claim to be superior beings, but are we really?

Deep thoughts for a fabulously graceless Monday morning!

Keep Hope Alive!!!

Just a “brief” interruption….

~ gracelessnessover40 ~ 10 Comments

I just Love it when someone calls and says, “You got a minute I need to tell you something I won’t take long” so you say “yes” and 20 minutes later you’re still on the phone because said person is now telling you the other 5 things they “forgot” when they called you “for a minute.

Yeah sarcasm doesn’t always translate so well in print but I hope you could feel that one!

There are many people I know with this affliction!

I call them the “just a minute callers” because Every time they tell me “it will just take a minute” and Every time it’s at least 10 or more minutes.

How do you handle that?! I mean without being rude. Which I have been on occasion because I get tired of trying to be nice all the time!

Also those people who you talk to and when it comes time for the end of the conversation to happen, they decide to launch into any and everything they can to keep you on the phone, though saying “I know you have to go but there is just one more thing I will be quick.”

“Quick?” I want to scream at them! Really! I am already behind because your entire conversation was you drawing out your words and repeating yourself and over and over again. Please stop talking!

It really is rude to hang up on people but I seriously want to the majority of the time when I get stuck on the phone with someone like this.

Don’t get me wrong, I can do it too. Usually when I haven’t talked to someone in a while and we don’t get to talk much I try to cram everything in.

However when someone tells me they have to get off the phone, I do my best to cut it short and just tell what needs to be told not all the things I want to say.

When I talk to someone on a regular basis and they repeatedly do it to me it makes me not want to talk to them anymore!

Just because I work from home people “assume” that I have time to take their calls “anytime” and that I am free to do as I please.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Anyone who works from home can tell you that you have to be disciplined to make it work. And it is Work! I may be without makeup in my comfy clothes but I am working!

Although it is somewhat “easy” for me to come up with content for my articles and blogs, it takes concentration and work. Yes, real work!

So just remember the next time you call someone and say “I will be brief I just wanted to tell you a few things” do just That then get off the phone!
Or know that I put you in the “I will take that call later cause they Always take longer than promised” category!

Also, when someone says they are “busy”, whether they are or not, respect them please as it’s obvious that they don’t have all the time in the world to chat with you so don’t keep them on the phone. Otherwise you will be wondering why your calls go to voice mail so often! Or they may just hang up on you. It is effective!

Remember sometimes brief is better!

Stay fabulously graceless my friends!

Do what you say or tell me why you can’t

~ gracelessnessover40 ~ 6 Comments

One of my all time pet peeves is people telling me they will do something and then not delivering.

It makes me crazy. Well crazier.

I know I am guilty at times of missing a deadline or forgetting to call someone back, however if I tell you, for example, I will come by at 10:00 AM you better believe I will be there and if I can’t I will let you know I can’t and why and reschedule.

I have been waiting over a week for this dude to come by the house and give me a quote to clean out the gutters.

He was referred by a friend who spoke so highly of him that the first time he “missed” our appointment I thought maybe he got tied up.

So I waited for a call back. Nothing.

Then I left him a message. Still nothing.

I called again and left another message. Nothing.

Yesterday I got him on the phone and he apologized and gave me a sob story and of course I felt bad for him and we rescheduled for 10:00 AM this morning.

Guess what? No show and no call.

This is where I say I am Done with this one!

I have another person I can call but always feel obligated to the person I originally talked to. That is over an hour later.

No I won’t call him and remind him, again, that he apologized and promised me he would be here. He didn’t call me to say, “Hey I can’t make it I am sorry when is a good time.”

I scheduled my day around him being here and have things to do myself.

Just this morning I was given the number of someone that needs some work done and I called them within 20 minutes of getting their information. They were in  bad cell area and asked me to call them back in an hour. I will definitely call back because I said that I would.

I have friends who say they are going to call and forget to call me back.

Heck I do it too.

But that is a friend and not a business.

And if we have plans and one of us forgets or gets busy it isn’t like we aren’t going to be friends anymore.

Unless it’s one of those people you’re just being nice to because another friend suggested you would get along and have “so much” in common. Then I become the “Excuse Queen” of why I can never seem to find time in my “busy” schedule! Hey, at least I am Honest!

Don’t tell me you will ‘handle it” and then I find out later you didn’t “handle it” and said situation is now much worse and I am having to handle it because you can’t seem to recall your promises!

What’s worse is if this person habitually lies to you and tells you they will do something, either for you or someone else, and never does it. When confronted they often keep lying and say “Oh I did it I don’t know why it was said it wasn’t done.” No. Just no.

You will be put on the “do not trust” list faster than my kid on a sugar high!

I understand that everyone tells “little white lies” or “fib bits” and certain circumstances do call for it.

I tell my boy “sorry they don’t make batteries for that toy anymore” on those irritating cheap toys you want to smash upon said child receiving it because it makes a sound you are sure wild animals will come out of hiding to make it stop!

Or that a store is already closed so I don’t have to have him ask me 10,000 times for that Power Ranger toy that I told him would have to be a birthday or Christmas gift because it costs $80 and I don’t drop that kind of money on my kid “just for fun” because I can’t and even if I could I wouldn’t as I don’t want him to think he can have anything he wants whenever he wants it! He gets to hold his yogurt, cheeses and other random food products at the grocery and considers that a treat!

I worked for years, and still do on occasion, with patients who have Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Telling them “oh that person will visit later” is much easier than reminding them said person passed away 10 years ago and watching them go through the grieving phase all over again. Because honestly, the chances are good they will not remember later, which is sad, but at the same time you are giving them hope and redirecting them to do something else other than focus on the something you can’t give them. No one can.

So please just either tell me you can’t do something, you forgot, but don’t lie to me because I can promise you I won’t forget it. I will lose my faith and trust in you and that is a hard thing to recover.

I’m a pretty laid back person and if you have a good reason, even if it’s kind of kooky, I will look the other way and give you another chance to prove yourself. But after so many times I am done. Really done.

Someone that runs a “business” in this manner is only making it worse because customers do talk, word of mouth is powerful and bad press is not “good” in this instance.

So be honest with folks.

Even if it is not what they want to hear.

I guarantee they would rather hear the truth that a boatload full of lies!

Stay fabulous my friends!

 

The Piglet is Home & unplanned weekend fun chaos!

~ gracelessnessover40 ~ Leave a comment

My apologies for the late post but my weekend got thrown a bit out of wack but in a very unexpected, very good way!

I had settled in to work and write yesterday when I received a text from a close friend. He was traveling with his older daughter and his younger daughter had been with his mom, then met up with her mom, step-dad and step-siblings.

Apparently mom had “gone off” on her younger daughter and she was extremely upset. Her Grammy was further out and I was asked if I could go get her. This is not a kid that gets “worked up” over nothing. She isn’t whinny, bratty or overly dramatic.

I termed it “operation kid rescue”!

Before anyone gets all up in arms, the father has full custody and the mother, though I know she loves her daughters, is somewhat in and out of their lives. I am merely an old family friend and love both girls like they’re my own.

So I drop what I am doing and go across town to get Miss A. She’s 12 and one of the coolest kids I know. So is her 17 year old sister. Their dad has done a fabulous jobs of raising them.

Let me just say, I don’t care what you situation is, you CHILD should be the Most important person to you and above all else, especially if you are a divorced parent, cherish any time you have with you kid. Do not try to put them against the other parent. It’s cruel, mean and just plain wrong! Once they get older they realize what you are doing and they have the option to leave. Especially if the other parent has done their job and they know they do not have to take the verbal abuse. This really gets my blood boiling because I can not IMAGINE ever doing this to my child! It does not even compute! I will get back to the topic sorry!

I get to her, and thankfully no drama as dad has called mom and Miss A meets me in the parking lot so I don’t have to deal with the mom.

Miss A is a bit down, of course, so we hit Starbucks for her favorite fru fru summery drink (cause I know she needs cheering up and she asked nicely as it isn’t in my “go to” places due to the cost), then ran to Target.

I was looking pretty rough with my comfy pants, t-shirt, no make-up and hair pulled up style but she said I looked beautiful. Anyone see why I love her?!

I gave her the option of going to Grammy’s or staying with me. She chose me because I’m that “cool auntie” and I was thrilled as I was really missing my boy and he wasn’t coming home until the following day, now today.

So we hung out, at pizza, she did crafts, while I wrote some, we watched movies, chatted and laughed like kids. Ok, well she is a kid and I thoroughly enjoyed being around her!

We crashed out and then got up this morning with one thing on our mind. The boy is coming home today!

Let me just say at 12, kids are pretty self sufficient, at least this one is! I didn’t have to do too much per se, just BE there for her to talk to about any and every thing. It isn’t hard. And I rather enjoyed being auntie to her and she is genuinely a fabulous kid.

We got cleaned up, dressed and ready and finally at least I heard the door chimes!

The Piglet is Home! My tater tot, my boy, my miracle is HOME!

He was on vacation with his dad, grandparents, aunt and friends at the beach and having a blast I know but it had been 9 days since I hugged and kissed on him.

But God did I Miss Him!

I think we hugged and kissed for at least 10 minutes when he got home.

Miss A was laughing and hugging us too.  We were so happy to have him home because he is just a joy and so much fun! Did I mention I missed him?

So we ate lunch, packed up and went out to a festival for some much needed fun!

We stayed several hours, playing, people watching and visiting with friends when we finally decided it was time to go.

We got Miss A home just after her dad and sister got home so we all decided to get some grub as it was dinner time.

By the time the boy and I hit the road for home, he was snoozing in the backseat!

Of course he woke up when we got home, didn’t want to take a bath and I convinced him by saying he really didn’t want all that dirt on his clean sheets, there could be bugs in the dirt – kind of probably not true but hey it worked!

He is now sleeping away after watching a movie… and of course it took a bit because he was happy to be home, loving on me, needed more milk, was somehow so awake after being soooo sleepy!

But I couldn’t be happier because the Piglet is home and all is right in my world again!

I will post more “interesting” posts at times and them other times, like today, I have mommy brain but I am so squishy, gooey happy that my boy is home.

I’m going to go, again, and kiss him on the head just because I can!

Have a fabulous Sunday my friends!

Just get through it, then you can you move past it

~ gracelessnessover40 ~ 10 Comments

Sometimes you see the train coming round the bend and you absolutely Know you have to jump on but you just don’t want to.

You know that once you’ve jumped you can’t stop because really, you have no other choice.

My life is like that train sometimes, only it seems the driver is on drugs and my skills in jumping may be lagging a bit.

You know that there are things you have to face no matter what it may be.

You have no choice but to move on through it and face it.

If you don’t move through it you can never get past it.

Something that I am re-learning is much easier said than done.

However, it is something for me that I have to do because I am one of those people who has to go through it before I am past it to be able to move on with my life without the feeling of knowing I didn’t end the chapter, but instead just laid down the book never to finish it.

Too many times in my life have I left things in the “past” that later caught up to me because I didn’t move “through” it, but just breezed right past something but I did it because I didn’t have the knowledge, grace or guts to do at the time.

It’s easy to place blame on your situations, your work, you family, your life, and your state of mind.

Blaming others or an outside force is a much easier path to choose than one where you have to take accountability and lay the blame at your own feet.

Even if something isn’t all your fault in a relationship or situation, chances are good that the ending isn’t solely the other party’s fault no matter how you slice it.

Yes they may have done worse.

They may have ruined your favorite book, item of clothing or something other near and dear to you.

They may have spoken badly of you and spread lies and rumors.

They may have repeatedly lied to you thinking you would forgive again and again when you had done so before.

They may have been jealous of your abilities and felt threatened so they cut you from their lives to make themselves feel better telling you, “So sorry it was just time” or some other such non-sense.

In some cases yes, you can be completely blameless.

However I have learned that in most cases you aren’t.

This is when you have to do the ooey gooey yucky moving through it part to move past it.

A while back I was laid off from my job.

Though I knew that industry wide layoffs were happening, I had deluded myself into thinking I may be demoted and I could look for a job when/if this happened. Within two months of my old co-workers, who had worked for my company’s parent company, being laid off, I too got my “pink slip”.

I was somewhat devastated. I was also a bit relieved.

And if I was honest, I did know that chances were good I would be one of the ones to go first and get laid off.

This was not my “dream” job but I always put at least 100% into every job I have. Frankly I had been in the industry for the last 3 ½ years and I still didn’t understand a lot. That was in a large part due to the nature of the industry and people not sharing information for fear you would take their job, and for the fact I was female in an industry that is roughly 80% males in the upper management roles. There were women in management roles but I do know they made less than their male counter-parts. And it was pretty cut-throat at times.

I am still moving through it.

I am past it in the sense I made peace with the situation and started looking for employment. I have done beauty sales, adult sitter work and writing, but 6 ½ months later I do not have a “real full time full paying” job.

I am good with this because I am working to achieve my dreams. I am lucky that I am blessed with family to help, savings and some financial dribbling’s monthly to make ends meet. I do not live lavishly, I coupon and save when and where I can.

Do I want to live this way forever? Hell no.

I want to be able to comfortably support myself and my boy and not worry about paying my bills each month and having enough left over to do fun things with the boy as well as put some away for our future.

I Will get there because for me there is no other option.

See, working Through it even though I moved Past the incident.

I have also been re-connecting with old friends. And believe me I am selective on that because let’s face it, we are all crazy and honestly, some crazies just don’t mix!

People can put on an “act” for who they are or aren’t only for so long.

At this stage of a relationship, you are probably back in the ooey gooey moving through it.

Whether moving “past” it means being around that person, with some type of “conditions”, or completely moving on, you will still move “past” whatever it is in your relationship with this person.

I have a close friend who is one of the most compassionate, intelligent and awesome humans on the planet. She is also slightly nuts in a take a step back and possibly adjust meds kind of way.

There have been times during the course of our decade’s long friendship when we have both had issues we had to work through in order to get past.

It wasn’t always pretty, nice or easy but because we believed in our friendship we worked through it. We remain close to this day.

I have had other relationships where it was best all-around to end it completely.

The hardest part about ending a relationship is not only moving through it, but the getting past is harder. Those kind of relationships, no matter how close or distant, are similar to when someone dies.

If someone dies, you have to move through your grief and there is no time limit on that.

To me, moving “past” a death is accepting it, no matter what the cause. You may still be moving through it even those you have moved past what caused it and have accepted you will no longer see that person ever again in this life.

But a relationship you end, depending on how it ends and the circumstances surrounding it, can be like a death but the person is still on the planet and you may actually see them again.

Instead of discomfort and hateful words you have to move through your emotions, or at least how you display yourself in public and around others, so that you do not completely go off the deep end or embarrass yourself. Or worse say something you will regret later.

If you are changing the dynamics of your relationship you have to move through how that will play out while moving past the way it was.

Maybe you were sort of friends and now you’re close. Maybe you’ve gone from friends to dating. Or from dating to friends.

All of those change the dynamics of how your relationship with that person is.

If you don’t define how you feel, people don’t always have that “daily dose of gypsy shit so now I can read your mind” mentality. They need to Know.

Even if it’s unpleasant and not what you want to do, in order to move on and past you have no choice but to know how you feel.

Sparing someone’s feelings now could cost you more than you bargain for later.

Whatever the situation or circumstance sometimes you just have to JUMP!

I am still moving though and past so many things in my life. I am sure I will continue to do so until the day that I die. I least I hope so.

I wish you all the luck in the world!

Have a fabulously graceless night my friends!

Quiet time, me time and missing the noise

~ gracelessnessover40 ~ 1 Comment

I remember growing up we did not have all of the technology and all of the options we do today.

Yes my mom talked on the phone, but it was attached to a cord and plugged into the wall. If you wanted privacy, you went to another room or she told us kids to go outside or in our rooms.

Our rooms held our dearest treasures and outside held fun and adventures.

We lived on a cul-de-sac when I from the time I was 18 months old until I was 8. That would be the time when we acquired my younger brother!

We then moved to a newer subdivision from the time I was 8 until around 18 in which I met my best friend/sister and where the majority of my teenage years played out.

When my parents moved again, it was so my brother could go to a different school since I was graduating and he was about to go to high school.

No matter where we lived, we were required to “be creative” and let my parents have peace during the days of summer and school breaks.

We always did many things together as a family such as dinner each night, church on Sundays, vacations, family gatherings, parties – you get the idea.

But we also had “quiet times” and somehow I always treasured those times.

I don’t require “background” noise like a lot of people do.

And let me be clear, I do like to put on the radio or TV on occasion and have noise happening when I am alone, but I really do cherish quiet time. Nor am I a huge fan of TV every night.

I remember one of the first times when I was a teenager and my parents went away overnight and my younger brother went to my grandparents house.

My parents were trusting me to be an adult and not have a party or anyone over, plus there were plenty of people in the neighborhood that could “watch” our house and back then, there wasn’t all of the dangers we have today. No Facebook and smart phones to instantly update the world on your location and what you are doing. Not a lot of traffic in our area and less crime than there is now.

I did, of course, invite my best friend/sister across the street over for a little while but all we did was make a few calls to boys and watch the cable channels we normally were “limited” to watch.

Cable was the “new” thing as were microwaves! Yep, I am that old!

After she left I remember thinking “It is so Quiet.”

I could hear the house creaking and making noise, I could hear the dog outside but that was it. No TV, no one talking, walking around or making any noise.

It was Bliss!

I went up to my room and read and wrote in my journal.

I slept late because my parents weren’t coming home until later that day.

I enjoyed the peace and quite of a house alone for the first time in my life.

As the years moved forward and I grew up and moved out of my parents home, for the first time haha, I enjoyed having roommates but enjoyed the times when I was alone at home.

The quiet can be so peaceful!

I later married we and moved around a lot. Florida, Georgia, California and back to Georgia.

Many years later we divorced and at first I was living with friends, but I realized I wanted to get my “own” place.

I wanted the option of “quiet time” all the time because I had never had that.

So I got my own apartment and I reveled in being the only one who made noise, other than neighbors, which I had experienced before being an apartment dweller.

However, after a year-ish I realized I am a very social creature. I had already adopted two cats but I missed living with someone.

I set out to find a roommate. And I was “picky”! I wish I had the original ad I posted on “need a roommate” sites due to it’s “what I don’t want” content!

I finally found one person I felt “good” about meeting and happily she was the only person that came to “check out the place” and also became a friend for life!

She, like me, loved her quiet time but wanted someone semi-normal to live with. She had been in a bad relationship, moved in with family and now wanted to be free of the familial judgment and irritation that can come with it!

We both dated, but often joked we would probably end up being old lady roommates with cats and dogs when we moved into our 3rd residence together.

We had a house with a yard, cats, dogs and she was as OCD about cleaning as I was.

We both respected each other about our “quiet time” but would call each other out if we stayed on the couch for too long (like over a week and you aren’t dying from flu, allergies, stomach bug, surgery or anything else of the like) to touch base and generally keep each other sane.

After a few years  my gypsy spirit kicked in and I decided to move yet again.

This time my adventures led me to the state of Tennessee.

I had some wonderful roommates that I love dearly and are still wonderful friends with to this day.

I married again and had my miracle boy.

It was all so crazy and seem to happen so fast!

I had made peace, to a degree, that I wasn’t able to have children.

My friend, then later husband, and I talked about fertility treatments but honestly I wasn’t sure if I could afford the emotional blow it would cause if we paid out all that money and it didn’t work.

Then a miracle happened. I was pregnant.

We got married and I left my wonderful friends and moved in with him. It may not have been the smartest thing to do since we were such good friends but we thought we could pull it off.

I also knew my enjoyment of “quiet time” was about to be interrupted for a while!

I am not dumb but to my credit I was happy about the arrival of the human I was blessed to help create and carry. I was terrified and happier than I had ever been.

Anyone who has children know from the moment they are born your life of peace and quiet is shattered!

It is not all bad, but that is the truth!

If you’re lucky in the first year, you get “quiet time” when the kid is sleeping and the whole “you nap when they nap” actually happens sometimes because you’re dead on your feet from doing your “normal” chores and work, even if you aren’t caught up on everything you take a nap even if you aren’t a “nap person”! At least I did on occasion!

So “quiet time” shifted but I could still find it.

Life moved on and the boy grew and his dad and I realized that we didn’t need to be married. We had issues with living together and clashed on too many things. We tried counseling and we truly worked on trying to stay together but finally realized we couldn’t stay together “for the sake of the child” because we were both miserable.

So I moved again into my own place right down the road.

My father was going through cancer treatments again and I was a wreck from the emotional strains of worrying about my son, my father and the impending divorce.

I found more “quiet time” than I wanted as my son shares time with his father, which I am grateful for as often times kids get the raw end of the deal when parents are divorcing, but that first few months was Hard.

My “quiet time” was torture to think of all the things going on I had no control over and I miss my son like crazy when he’s gone.

I finally learned to accept his nights and weekends away and to enjoy the precious alone time I had.

During our divorce negotiations and mediation, we ending up deciding to move back to our home state of Alabama as both sets of parents lived here as well as extended family and friends.

It’s funny how you think you won’t move somewhere then you have a child and your whole perspective changes!

I didn’t have a lot of “quiet time” per se due to life and the happenings going on.

My friend whom I had lived with in Georgia, moved in with me to my townhouse after a failed relationship. We were happy to be together again but a bit sad of the circumstances that brought us together. She was great with my son and I once again had my friend with me.

Sadly, she passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack in her sleep.

I was heartbroken and so was Blake.

My aunt had also passed away a few months before and now my son was again losing someone he loved.

I feared there would be more to come but I had no idea how much more.

As I was packing up to move at the beginning of last year I got the call I had been dreading.

Although I had been going back and forth from TN to AL pretty much every weekend, my father had taken a turn for the worse. I threw my bags together and the boy and I set out for the motherland.

We arrived on Friday and my father passed away with our family by his side on Sunday.

I stayed on another week with my mom, family and friends. Funeral arrangements, plans and grief were the world I was in.

I have no idea how my mom made it through with the grace she did, but she is one of the strongest women I know and I have so much love, respect and admiration for her.

Her partner of 45 years had passed and she was hurting like never before, but also shared her journey with my brother and I and our family. It’s never easy when one of the rocks of a family dies, however having the love and support of your family and friends makes it bearable.

I am so blessed to have wonderful friends who while I was gone took care of my animals and also helped pack up my home.

I moved back “home” and in with my mom 2 days shy of one month after my father passed.

5 days after moving back, my beloved fur bebe golden retriever, Jethro a.k.a. Big Love, passed away. See, it did get a bit worse.

We were already grieving and now we grieved another.

Neither mom nor I were sure how things would work out.

I was over 40 with a 3 year old and living with my mom!

Fortunately I was able to transfer with my job and mom and I found out that we not only could live together but enjoyed it in a way we never had before.

We help each other out and one of the things we share is enjoying our “quiet time” or “me time” and help each other find it.

The boy loves living at GiGi’s house with mommy and we talk about Pops, my dad, too. It’s still “their” home but now it’s ours too.

We talk about heaven a lot with the boy because how else are you going to explain so many losses to a 3, now 4 year old? He has Great Wink, Aunt Bicky, Pops and Jethro having parties in heaven and I tend to enjoy his view on it as it eases my sadness to see the world through his eyes.

I know I am fortunate, blessed and pretty darn lucky.

It isn’t always easy but mom and I know we have each other.

Recently she went on a little vacation and the boy went on vacation at the same time.

I forgot about how much I Need and Cherish “quiet time” and me time.

It’s nice to wake up on your schedule, eat cereal for dinner if you want and not have to worry about anyone else.

But you know what? I miss them both! I can’t wait until everyone’s “Home” and the chaos and noise is again filling the house up.

Because as much as I love the quiet time, I miss my family! Noise and all!

Have a fabulously graceless Friday my friends!

 

 

Public Profanity and Censorship

~ gracelessnessover40 ~ 13 Comments

I always thought I was so cool. I mean I thought I was weird, could be adopted (grant it I look very much like my dad’s mom but that’s just coincidence I’m sure), left by aliens but I was “cool” in my mind, the best and scariest of places, because I could and can say anything I wanted and No One could tell me I was wrong, the timing was bad, I shouldn’t have said that, etc.

Oh but the happiness of being able to “shout it out in my head is a good thing! Probably could get me in a coat that helps me hug myself but we won’t go any further on that one right now!

I was a teenage rebel. I am surprised my parents didn’t disown me though I am sure it had to have crossed their mind a time or ten. I got good grades but had no “one” group I was in. I was friends with everyone. I dressed normal and weird. I didn’t judge people based on who their family was. I spoke my mind, often to my detriment but also in defense of others. I truly tried to be a “good person”. I also skipped school, said mean things I usually instantly regretted and did things I would probably not do again. However I can’t help but wonder if it didn’t help mold me into understanding life a bit better.

I feel for the most part that I have survived and thrived and I am continuing to build on who I am. It’s neat to find more of myself all the time.

I have a WIDE variety of friends and family from ALL walks of life, races, colors, religions and I love them all for who they are. I call out friends or family who speak ill of another “type” of person as 98% of the time it is stereotypical and just plain wrong.

I Believe in Freedom for ALL Human Beings regardless of the color of their skin, their sex, their religion or whom they chose to love and call family.

I believe in saying how you feel without the repercussions of family, friends and society tearing you down. I don’t want to be censored.

Yet I censor myself. In life, in conversations and even here on my blog.

Sometimes I am too damn nice.

See, that’s the thing, just using the word damn may offend some people. I don’t want to do that but That is Just ME. A layer of me. Like an onion (Love Shrek!). Because peeling it down I am not so sure all that is meant for the masses! It could be scary!

In today’s world “damn” is really not a bad word. It wasn’t too bad in the 80’s even though some folks would say any profanity would send you straight to the pits of hell. 30 years later we say and hear far, far worse and see even more so what is then beyond that pit of hell to them I wonder?!

So I “censor” myself in my speech as I do not know who all will be reading my post and I am sure that in the future, stronger language will be used in some posts and I will probably go back and add *strong language may be unsuitable for young readers and those who can’t handle the truth because it’s just how I roll.

Because if I am real about how I truly am, when I am so emotionally charged up or angry or hurt or sad or even with my girls & close friends when I don’t have to “check what I say as not to offend” I say Bad Words!

A lot of them and artistically I might add. I used to call my good friend and ho (an endearing term as not to be confused as to something ugly here) and go on complete rants about Atlanta traffic and drivers. I would come up with some damn creative names for folks.

I also, in my mind, invented a ray gun that I could point at said folk that made the profane language flow from my face and made me feel terror for my life and turn them into a beautiful flower grouping by the side of the road for 5 minutes and then return them to the road in a better frame of mind without having lost any time. All of that from being able to “let it loose” with my speech to my friend!

I have mentioned before I hate crowds. Hate is a strong word but all crowds of Any kind make me a bit jittery. I can go with friends and family, have a fabulous time but I still get a wee bit nervous in a crowd. (They make medications for that ya know! Makes it a bit easier!). And I seem to find myself in crowds as is such with life. By crowds I mean 25 or more people unless it is a really cool gathering of a bunch of people I know and not people they know we just all know each other and it’s fun. Because then even though you’re in a “crowd” it’s of all friends. You still in the safe space where you don’t have to censor yourself too much, depending on the group. But once in the PUBLIC you have to censor yourself.

Have you ever been alone in your dwelling and something scare you and you scream out something you don’t want your mama or grandmama to hear? Or your priest, rabbi, nosey neighbor…you get the idea. Or you just found out something about someone or your own life and you just want to say words and scream out loud because it sometimes makes you feel better so you do.

But once you cross that threshold from personal space to public property you are in full on Censorship mode!

I know we aren’t supposed to care what others think. But then again why aren’t we? It’s a fine line to walk. Caring but not. Being yourself but not.

When I am in public I try to censor what I say due to others around me who do not like the language and for the sake of small children. In some instances if no kids are around, all bets are off and words are said. Sometimes it’s funny, other times I probably should have kept my mouth shut.

A phrase I heard often as a child and teen was “if you can’t say it around your mother or in church you shouldn’t be saying it.” And how well did that work out for the majority of us?!

I guess what I am getting at is I am not perfect and neither is my language. I cuss more in my head than I allow to come out of my mouth. But it does come out!

But I try to respect others and realize that just by overhearing something I say that is considered “profanity” that it could offend them in a way I do not even understand. And even know I may not know them I would still feel bad. I am the person who has been known to be at a restaurant late after having a few drinks with friends, say something crude then look around to see if anyone heard me and then apologize to them! Yep I am that person.

So even though I am still being free and being me, I censor myself. Because frankly I think everyone needs to a tiny bit just to try and show a little respect for others. You never know how that person could affect your life and how you could affect theirs.

This is however, just my humble opinion. And it doesn’t matter because if you cuss like a sailor, I am still your friend. If you do it in front of my mama, I will ask you to try and clean it up a bit. But once we are where I know we won’t offend anyone, I can match you word for word in that “sailor talk”!

That is enough deep thinking for one night and I am damn tired!

Goodnight my Graceless Friends!